Stiffening fabric



Nov. 3, 1942. J. A. HENDLEYv STIFFENING-FABRIC Filed Jan. 17. 1941 2Sheets-Sheet l Patented Nov. 3, 1942 STIFFEN IN G FABRIC James A.Hendley, Middletown, Conn., assignor` to The Russell ManufacturingCompany, Middletown, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut ApplicationJanuary 17, 194,1, Serial No. 374,835

1 Claim.

The present invention relates toimprovements in stiffening-fabrics, thatis to say, fabrics designed and adapted for being' sewn or otherwisesecured to garments to stiiien a localized area thereof. Thestiliening-fabrics of the present invention are especially well suitedfor being sewn Within the waistbands of mens trousers to guard againstsuch waistbands rolling over in a downward direction. The fabrics of thepresent invention are also suitable for use as an anti-roll edging inladies dresses, girdles, and in a large variety ol' other situationswhere an anti-roll effect may be desired.

The present invention alsov relates to a special mode of combining sucha stiffening-fabric with a garment.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a superiorstiiTening-fabric which is economical to produce and effective in use.

A further object of the present `invention is to provide a superiorstiffening-fabri'c which may be conveniently secured in place to agarment, such for instance as the waistband of mens trousers, in suchmanner as to have the ends of its stiiiening elements extending close tothe edge of the garment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a superiorstifiening-fabric having `a series of laterally-extending pocketsrespectively receiving a stifening element and wherein the saidstiffening elements may be retained in place in the said pockets by thesimple expedient of sewing or otherwise securing the fabric to a gar--ment.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a superiorstiiening-fabric in which the object just above referred to may beaccomplished without occasioning undue bulkiness.

Another object is to provide a superior garment and stiffening-fabricassembly.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to thoseskilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includesall features in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art,

In the accompanying drawings, in which certain modes of carrying out thepresent invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a broken face View of a stieningfabric of the presentinvention and looking toward that face of the fabric having thepocketopenings therein and showing some of the pockets partially insection;

Fig. 2 is a broken longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 ofFig. 1 but on a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3 3' of Fig. 1but on` a larger scale;

Fig. 4 is a similar view but taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a broken perspective view of a fragment of thepreviously-shown stifieningefabric:

Fig. 6 is a detached perspective View ci one of the plate-like stifeningelements;

Fig. 7 is a broken View looking toward the inner face` of a waistbandand also showing the retaining margin of the stiffeningdabric sewnthereto vprior to the ioldingecver' of the said fabric;

Fig, 8 is a fragmental face viewof the waistband of a garment and`showing the sti-ieningfabric oi the present invention partially foldedover and secured thereto;

Fig. 9 is a broken inner face View ofthe waistband of a garment showingthe stiifening-iabric oi the present invention fully secured thereto;

and

Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional View taken on the line IB--IIJ of Fig.9 but on a largerscale.

The particular stiiiening-fabric herein chosen for purposes ofillustrating the present invention is in the form of arelatively-long-and-narrow tape and is woven, knitted, or otherwisefabricated,` in any one of a Variety `ci manners well known in the art,to provide a uplurality of laterally-extending spaced-apart pockets I5,each of which has a closed end I6 and an open end I'I.

As will be seen by reference to Fig. 2 in particular, the material inthe spaces I8 between the Various pockets I5 is in the instance shownsubf stantially equal in thickness to the combined thicknesses of therespective opposite walls I9 and 20 of each of the pockets I5. While thenumber of piles employed in a fabric produced by weaving in accordancewith the present invention may vary widely, it is convenient that thematerial in the spaces I8 have twice as many plies as either of thewalls I9 or 20 of the fabric. Thus, the said walls I9 and 2i) may eachbe one ply in thickness and these plies may be interwoven in the spacesI8 to provide at this point a two-ply thickness,

The closed ends It of the pockets I5 terminate short of the adjacentmarginal edge of the fabric to provide what may be aptly termed astitching-margin 2l which, as shown, has a thickness corresponding tothe thicknesses of the material in the spaces I 8. The open ends I1 ofthe pockets I5 also terminate short of the marginal edge of the fabricwhich is adjacent thereto to provide what aptly may be termed aretaining-margin 22 which preferably and as shown corresponds inthickness to the thicknesses of the respective walls I9 and 2D of thepockets |5 and is, therefore, thinner and more eXible than the materialin the spaces IS and also thinner than the stitchingmargin 2| beforereferred to.

Inserted into each or selected ones of pockets I 5 is a plate-likestiffening element 23 which may be conveniently formed of rust-pr0ofedsteel or any other suitable material which will add transverse stiffnessto the fabric. Preferably and as shown, the stiffening elements 23 aresized so that their respective ends adjacent the open ends I'| of thepockets I5 will not protrude beyond the said open ends.

By Way of illustrating one use of the present invention, reference maybe had to Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive, in which the stiffening-fabric abovedescribed is shown as attached to the inner face of the waistband 24 oftrousers or the like.

In attaching the stiffening-fabric to the waistband 24, the parts arepreferably first arranged in the relationship shown particularly well inFig. 7, in such manner that the face of the fabric upon which thepockets I5 open is facing in the same direction as the inner face of thewaistband 24, and the main portion of the stiifening-fabric extendsabove the upper edge 24a of the said waistband. With the parts in theposition just described, the relatively-thin retaining-margin 22 issecured to the waistband 24 in any suitable manner, such for instance asby one or more rows of stitches 25. After the stitching such as 25 hasbeen accomplished and after the desired number of pockets I5 have hadstiffening elements 23 installed therein, the stiffening-fabric isfolded downwardly, as indicated in the righthand portion of Fig. 8, andone or more rows of stitches 26 are then passed through therelatively-thick stitching-margin 2| of the fabric, as is especiallyWell indicated in Figs. 8, 9 and 10.

It will be noted and as is especially well shown in Fig. 10 that whenthe stiening-fabric is folded over in the manner described and has itsstitching-margin 2| secured in place, that the retaining-margin 22extends over the open ends I1 of the pockets I5 and conceals such openends, and the adjacentI ends of the stiifening elements 23, as well asserving to retain the said stiffening elements in place in the saidpockets.

By weaving, knitting, or otherwise fabricating the stiffening-fabricdescribed, in such manner that its retaining-margin 22 is relativelythin as compared to adjoining sections or areas of the fabric, not onlyis the folding-over of the fabric rendered simple and convenient along anatural folding line, but the bull: of the folded-over portion of thefabric is kept at such a minimum as not to be either unsightly oruncomfortable.

By providing the retaining-margin 22 or its equivalent which is foldableover the open ends I'l of the pockets I5, the necessity for separatelystitching or otherwise closing the said open ends is obviated.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than thoseherein set forth Without departing from the spirit and essentialcharacteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are,therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalencyrange of the appended claim are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

The combination with a garment; of a stiffening fabric having a seriesof transversely-extending laterally-spaced-apart pockets for thereception of stiffening elements; the said pockets having closed endsterminating short of the adjacent edge of the fabric to provide anattaching-margin along said edge of the fabric; the said pockets alsohaving opposite open ends terminating short of the edge of the fabricadjacent said open ends to provide a retaining-margin, and the width ofthe opening of each said open end being substantially the same as thewidth of its pocket When the fabric is in completely relaxed condition;stiifening elements in said pockets; said stiening-fabric having saidretaining-margin secured to said garment with the remainder of thestiffening-fabric folded upon itself along said retaining-margin tocause said retaining-margin to overlie said open ends of said pocketsand positively hold said stiffening-elements in said pockets; and saidattaching-margin also being secured to said garment.

JAMES A. HENDLEY.

